ADUR HEALTH PARTNERSHIP

Produced in co-operation with Patient Engagement Group

A warm welcome to the fifth issue of your Newsletter, which is produced in co-operation with the Adur Health Partnership’s Patients Engagement Group. For more information on this group, please see the article below.

July 2023 marked a year since the Friends and Family Test (FFT) was relaunched following the Covid-19 pandemic. FFT is an important tool that enables everyone who uses NHS services to give their feedback. Adur Health Partnership usually asks for this feedback by sending our patients a text message 24 hours after their appointment. However, patients can also fill in a FFT feedback form available from our waiting rooms or by speaking to a member of the AHP team. The feedback that patients give us via FFT is anonymous. Analysing the feedback helps us recognise what is working well and what can be improved.

Adur Health Partnership received 2,967 FFT responses between July 2022 and June 2023, where our patients said that our services were:

These results mean that between July 2022 and June 2023 over 91% of patients were happy with the service we provided. Thank you very much for your feedback. It really means a lot to us.

Did you know that you can also leave a comment, raise a complaint or give us a compliment in person at our surgeries, over the phone, in writing to us (letter or email) or via our new website? www.adurhealthpartnership.co.uk

Updates From Further Afield

The Louisa Martindale Building at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton has now fully opened. All patients are now in the new building. 65% of patients are now in single rooms and the remainder in 4 bed bays. All beds have views out to the sea.

Southlands Community Diagnostics Centre is on track to be open from October 2023 onwards. Patients with appointments for MRI, CT or X-Rays will no longer be affected by emergency requirements within the hospitals.

During the year 2022/23 University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust saw 670,000 referrals for care, 1,200,000 outpatient appointments, undertook 134,000 operations and procedures, gave birth to 8300 babies, saw 347,000 patients in A&E, transferred 107,000 patients to wards and cared for 1,300 patients with Covid. Referrals for cancer for 74.3% of patients were diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days. Over 5,000 patients started a cancer pathway. 63% of attendances at A&E were seen and discharged within 4 hours.

Patient Engagement Group

The Patient Engagement Group (PEG) is an informal group of patients across the four Adur Health Partnership surgeries. We meet, together with health colleagues, every month at the Shoreham Centre in Pond Road. We celebrate things that go well and we work together to make your views count in the running of the surgeries. We make sure that you are informed, consulted and listened to. Everyone is welcome at our meetings. For further details please email us at sxicbws.ahp.peg@nhs.net or visit the AHP website for more information and the dates of our meetings.

Updates From Further Afield

These updates are from University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (previously Western Sussex Hospitals when it became a Foundation Trust) and relate to what is happening at our local hospitals, which AHP's patients are often referred to for secondary assessments or treatments.

Much development has been taking place across all 7 hospitals within the Trust, but the major difference is the construction of the Louisa Martindale Building at Royal Sussex County Hospital This is now nearing completion and patients will be moved into the new building in the next couple of months. There is far too much to describe in this newsletter, but anyone who is interested can visit the Trust's website for the latest information https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/about/trust/improvement-projects/lmb/

During the last few months much concern has been shown about the NHS plan to close stroke services at Worthing Hospital and move the Acute Stroke Unit to St Richards Hospital in Chichester. A twelve week public consultation took place where everyone had a chance to express their views. More than 1000 people responded and these will be taken into account when decisions are made later this year. More details on the plan are available on https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/news/more-than-1000-stroke-survey-responses-received/

Closer to home is the development of the Southlands Site. Aside from the excellent eye clinic many other treatments and therapies already take place at Southlands, as well as two operating theatres carrying out day surgery. Many people are surprised to hear that dermatological treatments take place as well as cardio physiotherapy, occupational therapy, blood tests and many clinics.

Plans to develop a new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Southlands Hospital in Shoreham-by-Sea are continuing, with a new facility scheduled to open in the Autumn 2023.

The CDC is designed to offer efficient and more local access to MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computerised Tomography) scanners, as well as a host of other diagnostic specialist equipment and expertise. Separated from emergency care provided in other nearby hospitals, planned imaging and diagnostic services at Southlands will be less affected by urgent requests from Emergency Departments, resulting in less disruption to patient appointments and procedures

The development of the new department within the hospital will replace the temporary mobile MRI and CT scanners where space and waiting areas are very limited and the X-Ray department will be fully refurbished.

Watch Out For Tick Bites

These are becoming more common, particularly in countryside areas

Minimise the risk - apply insect repellant prior to walking in high risk areas and use footpaths rather than walk through long grass and foliage. Cover your skin where possible, wear full length trousers rather than shorts and wear long sleeved tops. Tuck clothes in. Wear socks.

Always check yourself and others, including dogs, for ticks after walking in high risk countryside. If you find a tick on skin remove with fine tweezers ensuring that the whole insect is removed

If you are bitten - remove the tick including its head, clean the site with soapy water and use a cold compress and/or elevation of limb to reduce swelling and pain. Apply antihistamine cream or take antihistamine tablets as directed. Tick bites may, but not always, cause itching and swelling

Transmission of Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that can lead to the inflammation of joints and neurological problems

This happens rarely but it is crucial that you are aware of the symptoms and seek immediate medical help Symptoms of the disease include a rash around the site of the bite that is oval in shape and flu like symptoms.

For more information, please visit the NHS website https://www nhs uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

Health & Fitness

Table Tennis for the Over 50s St Giles Church Hall, Upper Shoreham Rd Shoreham. Thursdays 2.30-4.30 with refreshments. Beginners welcome a very friendly group. £4 session paid monthly. Numbers are limited MUST BOOK through:Pat on 07856 285078.

Southwick Bowls Club

Southwick Recreation Ground. We welcome new and experienced bowlers to come along and take a look at our bowls club. Every Monday and Friday at 1.30pm we invite new bowlers to try out and will provide bowls, tuition, help and encouragement to get you started.For more information:Website: southwickbowlsclub. com or phone John Southwick Bowls Club 07973149534

Dancercise

Dancercise for the Over 50’s at The Shoreham Centre - Fridays 10.30 and 1.30 and Mondays

12.00

Come and have fun learning 6 different dances every week from salsa to line dance and 80’s to Broadway. No partners needed, all abilities welcome to come and keep fit and make new friends. For more information contact Jane Busby (ex professional dancer) on 07860136455 or email jane@janebusby.co.uk

Mindfulness Meditation

Shoreham Mindfulness Groupwww.mindfulnesscentre.uk

Meets every Monday at 12 noon in the Shoreham Yoga and Wellness Rooms: https://www. yogaandwellnessrooms.co.uk/

Guided session are free (with donations). For further details, please email Paul: pscowper@ gmail.com

Nicola Harman

Wednesday yoga online zoom 7:15am. Tuesday Yoga 6pm

Shoreham CentreAll classes are 1